Copyediting is…

• Reviewing a later (but not final) draft.

• Providing feedback on sentence structure (e.g., parallel structure, run-on sentences, sentence fragments).

• Checking for technical consistency in spelling, capitalization, numerals, hyphenation.

  • Did you write “data set” on page 7 and “dataset” on page 113?

  • Did you use British and American English spelling variations interchangeably, such as “marginalized” vs. “marginalised?”

• Checking verb tense for consistency throughout the text and that it is the correct verb tense to use per the style guide.

  • Also checking for British English verb usage with collective nouns, such as “the research group indicate” vs. “the research group indicates.”

• Checking comma usage.

• Checking preposition usage.

• Checking for commonly confused words.

Proofreading is…

• Reviewing the final draft before submission.

• Fixing capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors.

• Watching for consistency.

• Delivering a final document.

Formatting is…

Formatting is a separate process and includes:

• Checking that the margins, alignment, spacing, font, font size, text treatment such as bold or italic per the specified style guide.

• Deleting extra spaces and blank lines; converting line breaks to paragraph marks; inserting manual page breaks where necessary; formatting tables, photos, and their captions; formatting bulleted and numbered lists.

• Formatting the cover page, headers, footers, and any section headings per the style guide.

• Generating a table of contents.